Wraith
Wraith is the ace associate, girlfriend, and later wife to Yeoman . She has the ability to phase through objects. She now lives in upstate New York with her husband and their two children. History Jennifer Maloy was an attractive but introverted girl living in Long Island when she discovered that she was an ace, gifted with an ability to turn parts of her body insubstantial. Her first incident with her ace occurred when a glass of juice slipped through her hand and for many years she remained unaware that she she could do much more than simply reach through solid matter and retrieve objects, "ghosting" them with her. During her teens Jennifer used the ability infrequently and then only when in dire need. Following a rapidly escalating series of incidents in Jokertown late one night, where she was trying to rescue her friend and even met fellow ace Croyd Crenson , she was shocked to discover that she could turn her entire body insubstantial, albeit minus her clothing, when she accidentally phased through a floor. She soon turned to using this power to emulate the romantic heroes of her favorite stories as the Wraith, robbing from the rich (and corrupt) and giving to the poor (mostly charities benefiting battered women and pets). However, the limitations of her powers—that she could only "ghost" items of low mass and density—determined not only that her "work clothes" would consist only of a mask and a bikini, it also limited what she could steal to small, mostly paper goods. Jennifer enjoyed her new adventurous lifestyle, but found more adventure than she wanted when she stole a few small books from the safe of businessman and gangster Kien Phuc, because one of those books was actually his personal diary, with details of all his illegal activities going back years. Now wanted by the ruthless crimelord, she was fortunate enough to encounter Daniel Brennan, the vigilante called Yeoman who also wished to get his hands on Kien's diary. Since Wraith could only use her power for short periods, she was forced to rely on Brennan for protection, and after several close escapes from Kien and his thugs—including an encounter in which Wraith mutilated Kien's hand—she handed the book over to Brennan, only to discover that its pages were blank; the extravagant Kien had written his journal in gold ink, which was too dense for Wraith's power to affect. The paper had easily passed through the walls of the safe, but the gold had remained inside. Wraith eventually left New York to live with Brennan, returning when Yeoman tried to solve the murder of Chrysalis; Wraith nearly lost her own life in the process, but was rescued again by Yeoman. Later she was shot during an attempt by Kien's assassins to kill the pair. She was taken to the Jokertown Clinic and healed with the help of an ace named Trace. The two eventually moved upstate. Wild Card Traits Wraith is able to phase through matter. This ability is limited to herself and up to about 10 lbs. When insubstantial she can float through ceilings, or sink through floors. Appearance Jennifer is a tall, slim and attractive blonde. When using her ace ability, she usually wears a string bikini, due to her weight restriction. Personality Jennifer is introverted. Trivia * The story of Jennifer's arrival in New York City and turn to a life of crime is detailed in "Ghost Girl Takes Manhattan" a new short story added to the reprint of the first Wild Cards volume. Selected Reading *Wild Cards Volume I: Wild Cards (Tor Books reprint, 2010) *Wild Cards Volume III: Jokers Wild *Wild Cards Volume V: Down and Dirty *Wild Cards Volume VI: Ace in the Hole *Wild Cards Volume VII: Dead Man's Hand *Wild Cards Volume IX: Jokertown Shuffle *Wild Cards Volume XVII: Death Draws Five References *Wild Cards Online - Characters-W *Wraith (Wikipedia) Category:POV characters